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Gujarat
' Gujarat', also referred to as the Celestial Union of Gujarat, is a confederal theocracy covering most of the Gujarat Subcontinent. It's northern border is marked by the Snowholme (Prabhava: Himalaya) mountain range, it's Eastern land border by a series of thick marshes, it's Western land frontier consists largely of dry plains and river valleys, and fertile plains and great jungles define most of the south. Gujarat is among the largest nations on the planet, and civilizations have thrived there for thousands upon thousands of years. History Gujarat began as a nation in the wake of the collapse of the Third Kingdom of Gujarat at the hands of an invasion by the Prabhava tribes. It is then that the First Great Shaman, Siddharta, received a vision sent to him by the Eight Elder Gods; these beings enlightened him, giving him great deals of knowledge and insight into everything from plant cultivation to architecture. Together with his eight disciples, Siddharta began traveling the land, performing great feats of magic for all to see. It is in this manner that he came into the court of Arch-General Rama Nagamn, who bestowed upon him blessings in the form of a Legion, several battle-mages to serve his disciplies, and a large supply of gold, after Siddharta healed his son of a terrible illness. Using these, Siddharta travelled south, and with his disciples built the great city of Amer; the city came to house a great deal of the Gujarat Diaspora that had come to be after the collapse of the Third Kingdom, and as the city grew, various other cities, subservient to Amer, came to be around it. But Amer was not the only city to be founded on the Subcontinent; four other great states had emerged around Amer. Siddharta- now well into his second century, kept alive by his arcane power and sheer will- led Amer into various wars, during the period known as the War of the Five Kingdoms. It concluded with victory for Amer, and the declaration of the Gujarat Union as the successor to the Third Kingdom; Siddharta made one last journey to the North, to convert the new Arch-General of Prabhava Alaya and convince them to join, which ended in his final success, before- or so the legends say- he ascended to godhood. Since then, Gujarat has seen a number of petty wars, various projects to rejuvenate it's roads, temples, and cities, and a few major changes in leadership, but otherwise has remained stable and constant. Gujarat Orcs Making up the majority of the population of Gujarat, with a grey-green skinned visage familiar to any traveller, small tusks, and a tall, broad-shouldered shape, the Gujarat Orc is virtually indistinguishable from their other greenskinned cousins in every way except for their language, relatively light skin tone, and polite manner. The Gujarat Orcs have lived on the Gujarat Subcontinent since the time of the somewhat mysterious First Nation, which first arose around 2478 Before Invention, making that of the Gujarat Orcs quite probably the oldest non-contiguous surviving nation in the world. The physiology of Gujarat Orcs is virtually identical to that of regular Orcs; they are relatively strong- stronger than most humans, on average, although this is generally more a virtue of their culture than of real physical advantage. Their skin also contains a layer of chloroplasts- the same photosynthesizing organelles found in plants- which hypothesized to be the cause of their greenish skin. Since the Gujarat live in a fairly diverse landscape, they can be used as a remarkable tool to determine certain aspects of natural selection; Orcs from flatland or valley regions with fairly plentiful sunlight have a tendency to be much greener than their counterparts from forested, mountainous, or urban regions. Gujarat Orcs, like all Orcs, have a hardy constitution, but they do not conform to the commonly held belief that Orcs lack intelligence. One needs only to look at the architecture of their cities to confirm this. Prabhava Alaya The Prabhava Alaya, also referred to as the Prabhava, Sky-People, or in certain early texts and miscontrued situations as Angels, are a six-limbed relative of the common Homo Sapiens Sapiens. With two legs, two arms, and two feathery wings, it is easy to see how the Prabhava could be mistaken of the servants of various Gods from legend; numerous encounters, however, have shown this to be far from true, as various societal and biological factors have resulted in the Prabhava generally living up to the stereotype that they have terribly short tempers. The Prabhava have lived on the Gujarat Subcontinent at least as long as the Orcs have; various Gujarat legends point to the Prabhava being either mythical beings or vengeful mountain-dwellers, and several Prabhava gods have been translated into the traditional Gujarat pantheon as well as some Orc gods being taken into the Prabhava one. In Northern Gujarat, the name of the species can be directly translated to 'Source of the Snow.' It is unclear whether this is due to native superstition or is in reference to various ice-based magics used by the Prabhava. Living alongside Orcs has heavily influenced Prabhava culture and customs; some theorize that the warlike nature of the Prabhava can be derived from the nature of their neighbours, although it is often pointed out that the far more peace-loving Gujarat Orcs could hardly be the source of the Spartanic customs of the Prabhava. Instead, many hypothesize, it is likely that the Prabhava developed such a competitive and conflictive nature specifically to compete with their less aggressive but more numerous southern neighbour. In the end, the result has been the same; the Prabhava and Gujarat Orcs have influenced each other so much that they regard each other as inseperable. Major Settlements The Gujarat Union has a number of notable settlements, large metropolises that provide a large amount of the nations' population, industrial base, and trade. They are listed below, in order of population and importance. Amer Amer, also referred to as the First City, and occasionally referred to as the Celestial Capital, is the capital of the Gujarat Union as a whole, and the largest city within the Union; while the exact numbers are unclear, many suspect that the population of the Grand Capital is over a million souls, all pressed within the gargantuan Outer Wall of Amer. Amer was one of the first cities to be founded after the collapse of the Third Kingdom, and early in it's history attracted a huge amount of the Gujarat Diaspora that had formed after the collapse; the original foundations of the city are still visible within the confines of the Inner Wall, and the oldest building in the city is the Palace of the Elder Gods, constructed by Siddharta I himself, the home of the central government of Gujarat, as well as that of the Head Shaman. Chennai Chennai is the second largest city in Gujarat; it is a gargantuan port on the nation's East coast, and another one of the First Cities. Chennai is renowned for being far less organized than Amer; it's alleys and winding roads buzz with nightlife and trade, and in various parts of the city great keeps have been commissioned for the use of various trading companies and a few very rich traders. The city is only slightly less populous than Amer, but it is also far larger; Chennai's outer boundary is defined by vast slums in contrast to Amer's tall apartments. Most of the city is protected by the relatively short, stocky, and long stone Chennai Wall; the innermost portion of the city, and part of the dockyards, are defended by the restored old city wall, dating back to Chennai's independence. Chennai was, notably, the last city to be conquered, as the trading city could provide such huge bribes that at one point it literally bribed a besieging army into giving up their weapons and surrendering; eventually, however, Siddharta's armies sieged and sacked the city over two hundred years ago, restoring the core of the city to it's former glory as a port later. Chennai has grown exponentially since then, and currently serves as the headquarters of the Celestial Navy. Udaipur Udaipur, often referred to by locals as the Indomnitable Fortress, is the third largest city in Gujarat, and the third of the three surviving First Cities. Set in a western river valley, Udaipur is known for being raised upon a large platform, similarly to several Prabhava cities. It contains the headquarters of the Gujarat Legions, units of soldiers trained and armed in similar fashion to the Prabhavan Legionnaires, and is one of the chief industrial cities of Gujarat, mining ore and producing metal and metal goods for various other parts of the Union, as well as providing well-trained troops. Udaipur was one of the first cities to join the Union after Amer, as it's populace was converted to the Manifold Path by Gujarat shamans. Hava Hava, occasionally referred to as the Shield-Wall, is the fourth largest city in Gujarat and the capital of Prabhava-Alaya. Headquarters of the Prabhava Legions and the Order of the Battle-Mages, Hava is known for it's altitude, it's strength, and oddly, it's difficulty to reach; placed within a gap the Snowholme mountain chain, Hava defends the only route from the North into Gujarat with it's very existence, as it's walls stretch over both ends of the valley that allows access into Gujarat proper. It is probably the most well-garrisoned city in all of Gujarat, since as per Prabhava tradition, all are raised to serve in the Legions from the moment of their birth; Hava's labour force is largely provided by Gujarat Orcs and Humans.